It had been three years. Three years since that fateful night when Hitomi Kanzaki had been transported to a mystical world to stop an evil empire from destroying it by controlling fate itself. Returning to everyday life after her adventure had been difficult, nearly impossible at first, and every day she missed Van as much as the first day back. Yukari and Amano had no memory of that fateful night, and Hitomi supposed it was just as well. She had given up fortune telling, and aside from the rare glimpse of Van in a mirror or a white feather on her pillow when she woke up, there were no traces of the time she had spent in Gaea.
High school passed quickly, and her best friend had been accepted into Tokyo University. Hitomi had declined going to college; instead she worked part time at a convenience store, making enough money that she could afford a small apartment a few blocks from her job. Recently, she'd found herself yearning for Gaea more and more. She had no way of returning, but how she wished she could.
She was surprised out of her train of thought when Yukari walked into the convenience store.
"Hey grumpy! I've got some great news!" The redhead grinned at her, propping her elbows on the counter.
Hitomi laughed. "I'm not grumpy; I was just being a little nostalgic."
"Wow!" Yukari exclaimed. "Your hair's really starting to get long! I was so used to that short cut you sported in high school, I'm still getting used to it being below your shoulders!"
"You know I kept it short for track, after high school I decided to let it start growing out. Besides, it wouldn't be so surprising if you saw me more often Ms. College. Anyway, what's your big news?"
"Amano-kun is to be visiting me for a little bit starting next week; and I thought I'd invite you out to dinner one night!" Yukari squealed.
Hitomi smiled for her friend. It really was nice that she and Amano-sempai had started dating long-distance and the relationship had grown over the years. Absently, Hitomi thought of Van, and her heart ached for the person she loved most but couldn't see. It took the definition of "long-distance" to a whole new level - Snapping back to the conversation, Hitomi smiled and accepted the invite, earning a big hug from Yukari before she dashed off for class.
After work Hitomi returned to her apartment and made some instant noodles, then curled up on the couch with a new book. That's how she spent most of her days, and tonight wasn't any different until a noise distracted her from the words on the page she was reading. She looked up and glanced around the quiet apartment. With a sigh, she returned her attention to the book, and heard the faint noise again. She glanced up again, but the apartment was quiet. She slid off the couch and went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea. A faint melodic noise caught her attention as she passed by the bedroom door. For a moment she wondered if it was her cell phone, but remembered her cell phone was by the sofa. Curious, she opened her bedroom door and the faint melody grew stronger. She glanced about the room, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. She checked the window and it was closed, so she tried following the sound to its source. As she walked the apartment the melody grew louder near the bathroom. Confused, Hitomi pressed her ear to the door and could almost make out the words of the song. She reached for the knob and paused, considering what she would find on the other side. A person might have broken in and was using her shower, or . Her heart thumped heavily in her chest as a more improbable option crossed her mind. She drew a deep breath and opened the door, flicking on the light.
Nothing was there, and the room was quiet. Hitomi glanced around and shut off the light. She closed the door and laughed at herself. With a calming breath, she turned around, and found herself staring at a ghostly image of a tall woman with piercing blue eyes, white hair, and pale skin. She was draped in a dark cloak and had long pointed ears that instantly reminded Hitomi of Merle, although there were no other cat-like features or markings, just two small red dots above the woman's eyebrows.
"It's time to return." The woman stated softly.
Before Hitomi could open her mouth to ask if she was dreaming, she was bathed in a pale light and she felt gravity let go. Floating a few inches off her apartment floor she closed her eyes, ready for the rush of energy that she was sure would lead to only one place ...
ф
A still pond lay silent in the middle of a field in Gaia, surrounded by tall grass. Suddenly Hitomi burst through the glass-like water surface, gasping for air. She began flapping her arms in wild confusion before swimming toward the muddy bank. When she had finally crawled out of the water, she kneeled in the mud, coughing to rid her lungs of the water.
This was it? This was the return she'd been waiting for these three long years? She had expected to see Van standing before her with open arms in all of his winged glory. And yet here was the long awaited moment of return, wading through the black mud of a pond in the middle of nowhere. The sweats she had curled up in after work hung heavy on her body; she was forced to pull her heavy pants up to her chest, mud caked from her knees weighing them down. She hadn't even been wearing sneakers, just colorful padded socks, now ruined with the sticky black mud. What a picture she made to return to her beloved after these three long years. And that was assuming she'd even find Van. How would she even know where to begin?
"You there!" a loud voice came from behind her. Hitomi stiffened with a squeal. "Hands in the air!"
She looked over her shoulder. A soldier, in heavy armor reminiscent of the ancient Japanese, pointed a bayonet at her upper back. "B-b-but-" she stuttered.
"Now!"
Reluctantly, Hitomi raised her hand and her pants fell to the ground, into the mud around her ankles. Her Hello Kitty panties peeked out from under Yukari's heavy Tokyo U hoodie she had borrowed at their last sleepover.
"Oh!" the soldier cried. "Uh... looks as if you're unarmed. That pillar of light sorta freaked me out. I thought maybe some high-tech weaponry-"
"Can I pull up my pants now?" Hitomi squealed.
"Oh, sure!" The guard blushed. "Sure is a strange outfit you're wearing. Especially for a lady."
"Gaia hasn't changed much since I left, I see..." Hitomi sighed. "I'm looking for Van de Fanel. Do you know where I could find him?"
"Of course, miss! You didn't miss Fanelia by much." Taking off his helmet, he is revealed to be quite handsome...for a bear man. "Just through those woods. Please, allow me to escort you."
The soldier and Hitomi trekked through the forest, finally reaching the outskirts of the city within. A kind old man with a wagon being pulled by oxen offered a ride, and they settled into the cart. Hitomi sighed at the medieval-like scenery. A thriving marketplace buzzed with activity. Children played outside mud and reed huts with happy mothers in aprons cooking and cleaning nearby.
"Fanelia sure has done a great job rebuilding since the fire..." Hitomi recalled.
"Yes. Hundreds of people from other lands have come to be citizens of this great country," the soldier told her. "Their help is what has made reconstruction so speedy."
*It's as if they have no idea of the bloody, fiery battle that blazed only three years before,* Hitomi thought to herself. Suddenly, a scream pierced the air. In terror, she turned only to see an excited game of tag being played by several small children. Hitomi sighed a breath of relief. *I must find Van. I've been brought back for a reason, and I need to have him by my side when I discover what that reason is.*
Once they reached the palace gates, the solider helped Hitomi from the cart. It was a long walk to the palace itself, but Hitomi didn't mind. She needed a chance to dry off, and the gardens of the castle were beautiful. In the center of these gardens, just before the steps leading to the palace doors, was a stunning statue high on a pedestal: a woman with enormous wings spread behind her. Hitomi knew immediately it was Van's mother.
Inside the palace, the bear soldier, which Hitomi now knew as Adams, had quite a time convincing the guard to let her inside. Once inside the inner sanctum, not one person spared her a look of disgust. Each stare chipped away her already sunken self-esteem.
"Perhaps we could find a suitable outfit for you before presenting you to Lord Van..." Adams offered.
The idea was tempting. "No... it's very important that I see Van as soon as possible." In the hallway they passed a mirror. In a futile attempt to enhance her appearance, Hitomi ran a hand through her matted hair. Aside from being frizzy and damp, it was now much longer than her previous visit. In fact, she had changed quite a bit overall. Her sedentary lifestyle had given her a curvier figure ok, who was she kidding? She'd gone from a size 4 to a 14 in the single year since high school. Track had been her life, then overnight it seemed that whatever she ate usually Cup o' Noodles and Mac'N'Cheeze, the diet she could afford working part time and having her own place went straight to her ass. Yukari hadn't said anything, but she found herself more and more in sweats and clothes her mother asked her to drive to the Goodwill. Somehow she had overlooked it all, until now. Standing in front of a mirror in Van's palace, a hot fat mess. (btw: Size 14 is not fat, but it's a BIG difference to Hitomi!) Would Van even recognize her?
"Miss?" Adams asked, jarring her from her thoughts. He was holding open a large wooden door. Guards were posted on either side. Hitomi knew that this was it, that Van was just on the other side of the door. Suddenly she knew he would still want her, still love her. He would still come running to her with open arms. And maybe, just maybe, they could share that first sweet kiss. With chest puffed out (it was much larger now, after all), and chin held high, Hitomi marched through the door.
Van, sitting in his throne, now sported a thick beard and wore armor over his chest and shoulders, a cape stretching behind him, folded over the arm of his large throne. Seeing Hitomi, he immediately reacted by stumbling to his feet. Without a word he stared across the long length of the throne room, down the yards of red carpet, to the drenched, muddy figure standing, now trembling in his sight.
"Hitomi," he breathed. "You-" he struggled with the words. "You're you-"
"Got so fat!" Merle interjected. She walked around a second throne seated next to Van's. In sharp contrast to Hitomi, she was the same slender, furry figure. The same catty, bitchy smirk. But she too had aged beyond her childish figure. In her tightly corseted gown, her full bust was pushed high on her chest, as if they too were mocking Hitomi. Her hair was pulled into a more regal up-do.
"Merle!" Van scolded.
"What? She leaves for three years and shows up looking like something that the cat dragged in!" She took a second look at Hitomi. "Ick! Nevermind what self-respecting cat would bring that home? Not to mention the smell-" she held her nose in disgust.
"It's not as if I had time to prepare myself! And I certainty didn't ask to be dumped in a swamp on my way here!" Hitomi cries, her short-lived confidence now shattered.
"It doesn't matter." As if in a trance, Van stripped himself of his armor and began toward her, his arms open wide. Upon reaching her, he knelt down, taking her hand and kissing it. "All that matters it that you're here."
Hitomi couldn't find words. She thought she might cry if she made the attempt. It was as if Van had matured into the King she always knew he could be, and she was falling in love with him all over again.
"I'm sure you want to get out of those clothes," Van continued. Beside the throne, Merle bristled. "Merle, perhaps you could help-"
"No problem! Of course, we'll have to pull down the curtains in the dining hall to make her a suitable dress."
Hitomi glared. Some parts of this world would never change.
ф
The Vione II loomed large and silent over Gaia. Over the balcony was a stunning view, but Dilandau Albatou remained beneath the overhang, pacing in the shadows. He wore a plain, loose-fitting linen pair of pants and draw-string muscle-shirt. His feet were bare. This is the outfit he was was given in which to sleep every other month when they put him in that chamber. He guessed he must be 17 or 18 by now, the final desired age for the Dragonslayer leader.
*Am I really that old?* Dilandau stretched his wrist out, examining his lily-white flesh. The blue veins pulsed just beneath the surface of his skin. As he watched, his pulse quickened. How he longed for the battle to begin. His cheeks and eyes were sunken from his long sleep, but his face flushed and his red eyes danced with the prospect of spilling more blood.
Because the age progression process was physically demanding, and not altogether considered safe (even by the sorcerers), he was given a month between each progression in which he received his military training. This had been going on for as long as he could remember, into his very early childhood years. Years, of course, was a very loaded term. He could remember the last twelve "years" of his life, all lived in the last two years of a normal person's. One month of aging in a hyperbolic chamber, one of training relentlessly as a soldier. His now 5'8'' frame may have been small, but his size was deceiving. The cut-out shirt displayed his tight and toned arm and shoulder muscles. He could kill anyone-man, woman, or child-in a matter of seconds. He had, in fact, been given several real-world assignments in the past few months to do so, and had excelled past every expectation. Of course, his training had given him the physical ability, but it was his psyche the true reason for his resurrection that gave him the will-nay-the urge. On several occasions, Dilandau even overheard talk that he was too effective. Well, that's how he interpreted the panicked voices insisting something be done to control the "tiny monster." And that is where Folken came in.
Folken. Dilandau sneered at the dark figure hunched over the railing, staring into the colorful patchwork with a stupid, dreamy look in his eyes.
"It certainly would be easy to push you to your death, Folken," Dilandau mused, his voice still scratchy from a month of disuse. "If someone were so inclined." Laughter bubbled up inside of him, surfacing in a high pitched cackle. God, it feels good to laugh again.
"Do you think I'd turn my back on anyone I considered a threat?" Folken answered calmly, not moving his gaze. Dilandau growled, twisting his cocky smirk into a grimace. "Come, Dilandau. Maybe the view will calm you."
"Hmph." Dilandau tossed back his hair with a flick of his head. Crossing his arms, he strutted over to the railing with his chin held high, one eyebrow cocked. He peered over the edge. He knew every fold of land, every colorful patch in that quilt of earth. He knew Gaia like an expert army general would know the territory he planned to invade. He should have been staring at maps, plotting the first major strike, the location of potential fortresses. Not staring as aimlessly as a farm animal over the balcony of the Vione II. Like that fool, Folken.
"The view does not calm me," Dilandau rasped. "It only makes me more anxious to set that patchwork ablaze. Like pitching a quilt into a furnace." Dilandau grinned, one corner of his mouth pulled high to reveal his fang-like teeth.
"I had hoped you would consider this life more of an opportunity, Dilandau," Folken sighed.
"I do. An opportunity for revenge. The principal task of this new life is to find who ended my last one."
"Don't you care what tasks the sorcerers have in store for you?"
"I have a strange feeling the two are connected."
"Like a memory?"
"A memory, Folken?" Dilandau laughed at his stupid suggestion. "Don't display your idiocy. I listen to every word spoken around me in this fucked-up experiment, and you sorcerers have great big mouths. I'm well aware my death was part of the battle Zaibach lost. I consider it a delicious opportunity to use whatever tasks are in store for me to find the bastards responsible and exact my revenge. I also realize that I am now at the final age progression desired, which means I may start recruiting the Dragonslayers at will."
"Of course." Folken straightened. "And in light of this milestone, I wanted to give you a token of leadership and esteem." He removed an object from his (shirt? Pocket? Bag? What's he wearing! Lol): a shining gold tiara, and in its center a glittering red gem. Dilandau took the tiara and stared hard, focusing on the stone. Like something from a dream, he was certain it held some clue to a memory. A memory which he knew could not exist. So why did this stone tug so forcefully at the back of his brain? His left eye twitched.
"Stop that, Dilandau, or you'll get another scar," Folken scolded.
Suddenly, Dilandau realized he was stroking his cheek feverishly with the heel of one hand. He stopped, staring at Folken with wide eyes.
With a scowl, Dilandau jammed the tiara on.
"It suits you well." Folken gave a small smile.
In truth, it was eerie to see Dilandau completely restored, even down to the gleaming gemstone in his gold tiara. Absently, Folken compared the differences in their regeneration. While Dilandau was an exact duplicate of his former self, except a few years older and scar-less Folken was the way he had been before he pledged allegiance to the Zaibach Empire, perhaps a few years older. Both of his arms were intact and toned, he lacked the tattoo mark of a sorcerer, and his hair was dark blue instead of the bleached short cut it had been. He wore the uniform of a sorcerer, but his clothing was really the only thing that tied him to his appearance from his former life as Strategos to Emperor Dornkirk.
"As if I need your praise. Just so you know, I'm not going to wear this stupid thing." Dilandau huffed and looked away, pretending to take interest in his nails.
"As you wish." Folken turned his gaze back to the scenery.
Dilandau let out an aggravated sigh and turned his attention to more pleasant, violent thoughts. He imagined the kinds of torture he would instill on his former murderer- or murderers! A group torture could be really satisfying; it lent itself to so many possibilities
After a few moments, Folken glanced at the daydreaming Dragon Slayer.
"I hope the new Dragon Slayer Unit will be led better than last time. When men pledge their loyalty to you, you have the responsibility of guiding them with care."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Dilandau snarled.
"It means keep your men out of your tangled revenge scheme." Folken ordered.
Dilandau bared his fangs in mocking grin. "Are those orders from up top, or are you just trying to piss me off?"
Folken sighed and lifted his head, staring at the passing clouds.
"Listen, Dilandau. We've been granted a rare chance; resurrected from our past mistakes we can correct our errors and forge a new path for ourselves. We don't have to be driven by the same urges and goals as we once were. I can accept what I did was wrong, and that the ends cannot justify the means. I have no intention of repeating that sadness. Perhaps you should consider that, for all the sorcerers' powers and schemes, they don't own you. You don't have to let them control your destiny; you can make it your own."
"Am I hearing you correctly, Strategos," Dilandau smirked. "Are you advocating treason?"
"No." Folken looked squarely into the younger man's garnet eyes. "I'm not saying you should disobey orders. I'm saying you should try to let your past be your past, and take care of this life like the gift it is."
Dilandau had only a moment to consider Folken's words, when suddenly a blazing pillar of light opened up in the sky in the distance.
"What the-?!" Dilandau shouted, throwing himself against the railing. Folken turned, his eyes widening as they watched the light widen for only a few seconds before fading away. Before Dilandau spat the words, Folken was thinking the same thing.
"That was Fanelia!" Dilandau had heard the sorcerers mention the King of Fanelia on more than one occasion, and his keen intuition had picked up on Folken's silent and sullen demeanor change. Even now, Dilandau noticed that Folken was holding his breath. That sealed it. His first step was Fanelia. He spun, hurrying toward the docking bay.
( A/N: Thank you for joining this epic sequel to Tenkuu No Escaflowne! A lot of liberties will be taken with Gaea socio-economics, international fashion, characters, and concepts. You may consider yourself warned. This is a twisted, self-indulgent mess that was a joy to write and I hope you will find it a joy to read. The story is labeled mature for the violence and a bit of sexual content, but I hope you'll like the madness. Please favorite or comment if you do!)